Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson reacts after he made a three-point shot against Vanderbilt during the second half of an SEC tournament semifinal win on March 16. / John Bazemore, AP

by David Climer, USA TODAY Sports

by David Climer, USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the SEC tournament on Sunday, a panel will select the event's most valuable player.

Who will it be? I'll have to get back to you on that.

But an unofficial award already has been decided. Hands down, Marshall Henderson has been selected the most vilified player.

If you're an Ole Miss coach, player or fan, you probably love him. Otherwise, not so much.

And you know what? He doesn't care.

"I've been a villain everywhere I've gone," he said. "It's cool. I like it, actually. I feed off that. I love it when my name gets announced and I hear, 'Booo!' That's the best. All I do is just smile."

He's been smiling a lot the last few days. Ole Miss keeps winning, including a 64-52 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, and Henderson keeps evoking strong emotions from those on the court and in the stands.

Get over it. College basketball in general and the SEC in particular need personalities like Henderson. Too often, our attention is diverted to the millionaire shoe salesmen that multitask as coaches. What's wrong with a player embracing the spotlight?

Personally, I hope the NCAA tournament selection committee deems the Rebels bracket-worthy. With so many one-and-done exits to the NBA, the college game often lacks star power and personality.

In short, March Madness needs a madman. Marshall Henderson, come on down.

He's all for it, of course. He sees the NCAA tournament as a means to a financial end.

"The last couple of NCAA tournaments you've seen a Steph Curry and Jimmer Fredette, and I'm trying to be them - get a run and try to make a name for myself and get this money," Henderson said.

To him, game time is show time. Vanderbilt's defense clamped down on him early in the tournament semifinal but Henderson eventually took over. A couple of his baskets were downright demoralizing.

"We knew Marshall Henderson was going to take some crazy shots but we knew he was going to make some crazy shots," Vanderbilt forward Josh Henderson said. "We were told not to let that affect us, but it did a little bit."

After nailing one ridiculous three-pointer from the deep left side against Vanderbilt, Henderson held his right thumb to his forehead and wiggled the other four fingers as he headed downcourt.

He explained the gesture is called "Land Shark." It's a shout-out to the Ole Miss football team, specifically the Rebels defensive players, who celebrate a sack with that gesture.

Later, as the clock wound down, he channeled his inner Curly Neal and dribbled around various weary Commodores defenders, counting off a few seconds before drawing a foul that resulted in free throws for his 22nd and 23rd points of the game.

"I used to do it in high school a lot," Henderson said of the dribbling exhibition. "I trust my teammates but I trust myself to make free throws."

While Florida - Ole Miss' opponent Sunday in the tournament final - clearly is the best team in the SEC, Henderson is the conference's best story. A Cliffs Notes version of his career:

He played for his father at L.D. Bell High in Hurst, Texas, and spent his freshman season of college at Utah where he started 30 games. Then he transferred to Texas Tech and sat out a season before ducking out to South Plains (Texas) Junior College, where he won a national junior college championship before landing at Ole Miss.

Rebels coach Andy Kennedy knows this is a balancing act. He is forever searching for a way to keep Henderson under some semblance of control without breaking his spirit.

"It's all about focus with him," Kennedy said.

Henderson's take: "I always tell myself before every game, 'OK, this is going to be the game where I'm focused,' and it just never happens. That's just who I am. That's just how I am."

He insists he's a laid-back, unassuming guy off the court.

"I like to wear a hat and wear my hoodie and some shades," he said.

Once the game starts, though, he's on stage. And because of his antics, things can get interesting very, very quickly.

After nuking Missouri for 20 of his 27 points in the second half of the SEC quarterfinals Friday night, Henderson hopped onto the scorer's table and threw his arms over his head in celebration. It didn't play well with the Tigers or their fans.

"I am a manipulator of sorts and I like messing with people's minds," Henderson said.

Then he elaborated:

"It's a freaking game. It's a basketball game. People take it so seriously that it's funny for a little white guy like me to just come around, talk trash to people and the fans. Like, what are you going to do in the stands? What am I going to do on the court to you in the stands? It's funny just to mess with people."